Electric starters for initiating internal combustion engines are well known, and primarily consist of an electrically powered motor which through gearing mechanisms rotate the crankshaft of an engine from rest up to a rate of revolution at which the engine will commence to operate on its own. The power for the starter is supplied by the vehicle battery. The starter is designed to produce a high power output or torque over a short period of time without exceeding a specified temperature, so that the static inertia and friction inherent in the engine are quickly overcome. Most vehicles with internal combustion engines, such as automobiles, trucks and motorcycles, are provided with starters so that manual starting is not necessary.
Many vintage motorcycles, however, were not built with electric starters. To crank the engine, a kick pedal was provided which the rider had to forcibly move over a partial rotation path. The kick pedal was connected to the kick shaft which was connected through a clutch and gearing or chain mechanisms to the crankshaft. When the rider forced the kick pedal downward, the crankshaft was rotated and the pistons were moved causing the engine to start.
Kits have been provided to modify systems or relocate controls on motorcycles. One such kit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,121. This kit allows a kick start only starter system to be modified to an electric starter system with the addition of an electric motor. Another kit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,495 which adds a kick start foot pedal assembly to an existing motor drive shaft. This foot pedal assembly assists in the start of an engine having an electric starting motor. Because it must be fixed to the motor drive shaft, attaching this device to the motorcycle is somewhat complicated. Still another kit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,195 which modifies a foot operated shift mechanism and a hand operated clutch to a foot operated clutch and a hand operated shift mechanism. All of these kits, although claiming to be simple to install, are in fact very complicated because of their being integrated into the basic elements of each system.
Currently, there is a desire by motorcycle owners, particularly the owners of Harley Davidson motorcycles, to modify their current model motorcycles to resemble the older model Harley Davidson motorcycles with simulated foot operated kick start mechanisms where the installation of a modification kit that is very simple. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a kit that will allow the simple installation of a foot operated electric switch assembly for an electric motorcycle starter, where the starter switch assembly simulates the feel and appearance of the classic kick starter and can be easily mounted onto the motorcycle in a generally unobtrusive manner without requiring any major readjustment or alteration of the structure of the motorcycle. This assembly can be easy enough to install by the average motorcycle enthusiast or installed during manufacture by the factory